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The BJP has questioned the choice of the state government to have Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurate Mysuru Dasara, while HD Kumaraswamy said he had no objection.
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq. (PTI/File)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its NDA ally, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, have contrasting positions over the decision to have International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq inaugurate the Mysuru Dasara 2025 celebrations.
Celebrated as ‘Nada Habba’ (state festival), the Dasara or ‘Sharan Navaratri’ festivities in the “royal city” of Mysuru are expected to be a grand affair this year, showcasing Karnataka’s rich culture and traditions alongside a reminiscence of royal pomp and glory.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had announced that Banu Mushtaq would inaugurate Mysuru Dasara, after she received the International Booker Prize in May in London, along with Deepa Bhasthi for her book ‘Heart Lamp: Selected Stories’, which was translated from Kannada to English.
BJP Opposition
However, the BJP has questioned the choice of the state government, due to Mushtaq’s position on the Kannada language and Goddess Chamundeshwari. The party had pointed to Mushtaq’s 2023 comments, where she had reportedly expressed reservations about worshipping the Kannada language as “Goddess Bhuvaneshwari”, and has stated that it was exclusionary to people like her.
Several BJP leaders, including its state President B Y Vijayendra and Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, also the scion of the erstwhile royal family, had called on Mushtaq to clarify her remarks.
“We will welcome her if she accepts the background of religious rituals involved during the event. She has to first clarify why she said that (in 2023). It will be good if she withdraws her statement because it is a matter that has hurt the Hindu religious sentiments,” he said.
What Did HD Kumaraswamy Say?
Kumaraswamy told reporters in Bengaluru that his his objection was for the statement by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who stated that Goddess Chamundi was not just the exclusive property of Hindus.
“I have no objection to choosing Banu Mushtaq. But saying that temples are not just the property of Hindus is arrogance and that will cause big damage to the government,” he was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
Meanwhile, his son and JD(S) youth leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy has stated that the party has objections to Mushtaq’s reservations on Kannadambe and other issues related to culture.
Meanwhile, his son and JD(S) youth leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy has stated that the party has objections to Mushtaq’s reservations on Kannadambe and other issues related to culture. “We respect her, and it is not that she should not inaugurate Dasara,” Nikhil said. “Our only objection is for the reservations she has towards Kannadambe and other issues related to culture.”
‘My Statement Being Distorted’
Meanwhile, Mushtaq said on Monday that her statement has been distorted, and a handful of people were trying to project her relationship with Kannada by “manipulating” things. “It (invitation to inaugurate Dasara) is definitely a happy thing. We can see this in various ways. You call Chamundeshwari Taayi (mother Chamundeshwari), I respect your feelings. Many call it Naada Habba (state festival), I respect that too,” she said.
Mushtaq claimed that only a select portion of her 2023 speech was going viral on social media, saying she was speaking as the voice of Muslims, minorities, Dalits, oppressed communities and women.
“I had said at that event that, instead of using Kannada as a language, it is being treated emotionally, by making it a Goddess. When a language is considered a language, all of us will read it and let’s use it as our language….I had tried to instill confidence among Kannada writers from minority communities who were kept away, by telling them not to feel abandoned and come closer,” she said.
Dasara is traditionally inaugurated by offering floral tributes to the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari -the presiding deity of Mysuru and its royal family -accompanied by the chanting of Vedic hymns at the Chamundeshwari Temple on Chamundi Hills.
(with inputs from PTI)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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